If you were too easily offended by Hyundai--yes, Hyundai--proclaiming its Genesis sedan could duke it out with the likes of Lexus and Infiniti, boy, are you going to be irked.

By late summer, the company’s new flagship, the 2011 Hyundai Equus, will be on sale in the U.S., and according to Hyundai the car will compete with the best luxury sedans in the world on "all levels" including amenities, performance, advanced technologies, design and ownership experience.

Measuring in at a generous 16.9 feet in length, 6.2 feet in width and 4.9 feet in height, the Equus certainly has the luxury sedan size factor. The car also boasts an almost ideal 52/48 front-to-rear weight distribution for exceptional handling and more refined steering characteristics.

The powertrain lineup is also respectable, with the Equus available in the U.S. with a world-class 4.6-liter Tau V-8 rated at 385 horsepower and 333 pound-feet of torque on premium fuel (378 horsepower and 324 pound-feet using regular fuel). That’s entirely comparable with the outputs of the Lexus LS460, Mercedes-Benz S550 and Audi A8, and when combined with the Equus’ standard six-speed automatic transmission the Tau V-8 will propel the car to 60 mph from rest in less than 6.4 seconds.